Review Section
Cannondale Prophet
I've been riding a prophet for about 2 years now and have had the chance to put this bike through just about every type of riding situation imaginable. I've sweated it out over long, drawn out road trips, slimy singletrack, sketchy downhill runs, and even some good 'ol drops here and there.
Because the only part left on my prophet which is still stock is my seat, I'm going to concentrate more on the frame of the beast rather than the particulars, which I've changed over the history of the bike. The frame is, afterall, the heart of the machine anyway.
The Prophet's frame, like all Cannondale full suspension bikes is a single pivot design. Over the years I've had a chance to ride many single pivots and other frame types, and while there is much debate about which suspension philosophy is the best, I have always found myself partial to the single pivot. Maintenence, strength, and a direct link from the rear wheel the to the shock are all virtues of the camp, and are all traits the prophet exemplifies.
Currently I have the Prophet fitted with a Manitou Swinger 6-way coil in the rear. This shock offers the ability to completely fine tune exactly how the bike reacts to both high and slow speed hits, pedal feedback, and bottom out resistance. I would call myself an aggressive rider, I typically find myself charging the terrain I'm riding on favoring the straight line through a bed of roots or rocks rather than the smooth way around. Before encountering obstacles I'll often load the suspension by pushing down hard on the pedals and using the rebound from the fork and shock to 'float' over the root, rock, or whatever else. Because of the single pivot design, the Prophet really doesn't have much rear end flex which really encourages an aggressive rider like myself.
The quality of the Prophet's frame is far superior to other bikes in its class. I worked at a Cannondale dealer for a spell and had the chance to ride, and work with many other brands and consistently have found Cannondale's welds and designs to be unsurrpased. To have this frame last for nearly two years thus far with no cracks or any hint of problems is really encouraging. I've hit numerous drops up to about 8 feet, rode thousands of miles of both road and off road and never have worried that the bike would fail me. Cannondale has really provided a consistent ride in the Prophet.
My Prophet setup *Circa Fall 2006*:
Frame: 'Large'
Fork: Manitou Sherman Flick Plus
Shock: Manitou Swinger 6-way Coil
Rear Der: Shimano XTR
Front Der: Shimano XT
Cranks: Shimano Saint Hollowtech II
Shifters/Brake Levers: Shimano XT
Wheelset: Shimano XT Hubs with Rhyno Lite XL Rims
Tires: Tioga 2.3 Factor DH rear and Nokian Gazzalodi 3.0 front